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Reader Dawn is looking for some tips on printer ink and I thought that this would be an excellent topic to open up for discussion since I receive many e-mails about it.
I was wondering what your thoughts were re printer ink, and if you could open that subject up to your faithful audience! Specifically, where the better refill prices are, etc.
I was thrilled to refill my first black ink cannister for $10 at Office Max (XL size too), but also was told to be careful about refilling tricolor ink…..something about the browns not producing good pics for photos. Much love and thanks to you!
Head down to the comments section below to share your tips, or ask related questions! 😉
Dawn says
Thank you all so much for your input…I feel like I have a great database set up for me now. Blessings to you all!
Bradley says
One think I learned long ago was to shop for a printer based on ink prices and “refillability”. While the specifications and the prices on various printers can be very close, and the variations in ink cost can make a big difference in the overall “total cost of ownership”. Many people purchase a printer because they find a great deal on the printer itself, only to find that one set of ink cartridges costs as much as the printer itself!
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With that in mind, I purchased an HP PhotoSmart Premium Wireless Printer/Scanner/Copier about a year ago for $99. There are 5 separate ink tanks (red/yellow/blue/black/photo). Instead of paying $60.00 (or more) for a full set of HP-brand tanks, I purchased a kit from DIYInks to be able to refill them at home. The refill kit and original supply of bulk ink was $32, and it included enough ink to fill each cartridge 5 times! Although the difficulty of refilling varies from printer to printer, for those particular tanks (HP part 564), refilling is pretty easy to do. Now I print full color photos (and pages of coupons) for a penny or two a page, and I no longer scowl at my kids when they need to print 20 full-color pages for school. The slight mess I make refilling once every few months absolutely makes it worth it!
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I hope this helps. Remember, doing your research up front saves a lot of money in the long run. (Hey, where have I heard that before?) 🙂
Kathy says
With my old cannon, I used inkfarm.com compatibles and always received quick shipping with them but you had to look for a good coupon code. My printer died right before Christmas and so I got a laser printer – a Brother HL-2270DW and I love it! The starter toner cartidge in it does 700 sheets but you can upgrade it and I did to a compatible toner cartridge which does 26oo pages. You can purchase the toner through ebates especially when they have a 27% back like they did yesterday plus use a coupon code and get the toner catridge pretty cheap. I changed it out recently from the 700 page starter cartridge to the higher one and it was so easy. It appears to be cheaper for printing coupons. If you do not need a wireless printer, the Brother HL-2240 is the same printer without the wireless. I think both are on sale this week at Office Depot and at OfficeMax. The HL-2240 is $49.99 at both stores and the HL-2270dw is $89.99. Note: Around 12K prints the drum has to replaced but from what I read, it is pretty easy. PS – I do not knoe if this is true but I have heard sometimes inkjets do not print the bar code as well as a laser and cause a coupon to beep sometimes. I never had a real problem with this though with my inkjet.
Angela says
We use Amazon, too, and have had great luck with 77Ink. We got a year’s supply for a very reasonable price and the next year I decided to re-stock with them and they were even cheaper! Good customer service, too, the one time I did have an issue with a cartridge.
You can also reduce the ink intensity on documents that aren’t as critical. May be careful with lowering it too much on certain internet coupons though, because if you reduce it too much the UPC won’t scan well.
Lisa S. says
I always print my coupons on draft (lowest quality on my Kodak printer) and in black and white. I’ve never had a problem.
Mommy Kane says
We also buy ours online, we have a Canon and we purchased them via Inkcredibleinks. They have been working great. Then we also do the recycle program at Staples. They give you $2 per cartridge. If you time it right you can use that money you get back to buy easy rebate items that are free. You never know when they will have them, but right before school last year they had several. I also started recycling my paper as well. The pieces my daughter brings home from school or anything really that has a blank side, I reuse.
Brandi says
I have used the Target gift card deal and I also buy at Costco when I can combine their coupon. Costco also refills and they sometimes have a coupon for that as well!
tara says
I use Megatoners.com. I get my ink cartridges for about $1.99. And then you don’t have to go though the hassle of re-filling.
Beth says
Great question…I stopped printing coupons because I felt I was spending more than saving due to ink cartridges.
Andrea Silva says
I have started buying mine on Amazon. For a few more dollars then the price I pay for a single color at Walmart, I was able to buy all of them! My printer is a Cannon and takes 5 separate ink tanks. These were sold on Amazon by Gener Ink and for the 5 pack I paid $17.28! They have worked wonderfully no problems at all and my print jobs look the same.
AMY says
I know Dawn’s question was mainly about refilling cartridges but if your cartridges aren’t refillable or you choose not to, another way I save on ink cartridges is to stock up when Target and Walmart run the deal where you get a gift card back when you buy two combo packs. Both stores had this deal around August (Back to School time) and I have seen it at Target a couple times since then, even when it wasn’t featured in the weekly ad. I have also bought cartridges on ebay and paid less than Walmart and Target’s regular price.
AMY says
The ink cartridges I use (HP 61) are not refillable, or at least that is what Walgreens told me when I took them there, but another way to save if you can’t refill your cartridge is to recycle them at Office Depot and get rewards back. Here is how they describe their program, “Join the Worklife Rewards® or Star Teacher program and bring in your empty cartridges for recycling to your nearest Office Depot store. As a member, you’ll get $2 back in Recycling Rewards for each cartridge recycled, up to 10 cartridges per month. You can recycle additional cartridges, but Recycling Rewards will only be issued on the monthly limit. Recycling Rewards will be granted when you make qualifying Office Depot® purchases and will not exceed the amount of your total qualifying Office Depot purchases made within a Reward Period. (Qualifying purchases exclude taxes; delivery fees; postage stamps; prepaid gift, debit, phone or service cards; and purchases made with Office Depot Rewards and Merchandise Cards/Certificates.) We reserve the right to decline acceptance of visibly damaged cartridges for recycling. Please allow up to 6 weeks for your Recycling Rewards to post to your account after qualifying purchases are made. Recycling Rewards will be issued with your Rewards Certificate when you earn $10 or more in Rewards. Subject to Program Terms and Conditions.” Here’s the link https://www.officedepot.cc/environment/ink.asp.